


A whole new world

by Kate030



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Aladdin AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-22 21:45:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17067710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate030/pseuds/Kate030
Summary: A tale of three wishes, two gems- a sapphire of the sea and a diamond in the rough, and one magical lamp.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> They say you have to be the content you want to see in the world, so here I am. I have not written fanfic since 2014, so this may be rough, but I will persevere for my girls!  
> Comments, concerns, and suggestions are appreciated.  
> There's not really a schedule for updates but I have a lot of free time rn so keep your head on a swivel for the next chapter.  
> *Edit: Did some rewording and editing with the help of the lovely @trashprinxe (on tumblr). Hopefully it's even better than before

Far off the coast of Nicodranas, on a deserted jungle island, a figure moves through the brush. They’re late and the men they’re going to meet are not the most patient. The moon comes out from behind the clouds as the figure finally finds their way to the clearing. Two men wait by a recently packed up camp. One tall, imposing, and hard to make out in the shadows of the trees at night. The other is a much smaller, less impressive man who stands beside the first, dutifully in his place. 

“You are late,” a harsh, deep voice rumbles from the taller one, interrupting the surprisingly quiet jungle. The man entering the clearing, dressed in what amounts to rags and carrying a sword, bows mockingly. 

“My deepest apologies, _my lord_.” The tall man steps out of the shadows at this, dressed in fine clothes that speak of the station he must hold back on the mainland. His face briefly betrays fury before he quickly schools it, asking instead, “You have it then?” 

The man digs through his pockets quickly before producing what looks like half of a beetle brooch. “I had to cut a few throats, but I got it,” comes the raspy voice of the sellsword. The well-dressed man holds out his hand to receive the item but the mercenary quickly snatches his hand back. “Ah ah ahhhh, my reward first.” 

The smaller man, whom the sellsword had immediately stopped paying attention to once he entered the clearing, suddenly appears beside him and snatches the beetle from his hands. He quickly makes his way back and tosses the item into his boss’ waiting hand. A cruel grin breaks across the man’s face as he examines his prize and says, “Trust me, my desperate friend. You’ll get what’s coming to you.” 

If the sellsword had been a smarter man, he wouldn’t be here on this island in the first place, so these ominous words only inspire the belief that his reward draws closer. The smaller man has a look of grim determination as he hands the taller man another half of a beetle, the missing half. A bright light shines as the two pieces are placed together, the sudden change from the nearly moonless night causing the sellsword to shield his eyes for a moment. When he looks again the beetle, now complete, hovers in the air, its formerly decorative wings now a reality. It only stays floating there for a moment before quickly darting into the jungle. The small man is the first to respond, darting after it with surprising speed. The tall man sees this and raises his walking stick in that direction, and the sellsword watches as the racing man transforms into a large, dark-colored hawk that continues its pursuit without pause. He looks back with a look of surprise and the tall man shouts “Quickly! Follow the trail if you want your treasure!” 

Needing no more motivation than that, the mercenary bolts into the foliage with the other man following behind. They have a difficult catching up with the beetle or the large bird, but the gleaming trail in the beetle's wake ensures they don’t stray too far. The bird is able to keep pace and sees the beetle split in two as it reaches a large pile of sand in the middle of the island. The pieces continue to glow, and the sand begins to shift. As it completes the process, the slower two men stumble in, sweating and out of breath. Before them is the extremely large head of a tiger, shaped entirely of sand. The mouth opens to reveal an enormous cave leading down into darkness. 

“At last, after all my years of searching… The Cave of Wonders.” The nobleman, looking much more disheveled than he did when he arrived, marvels at the open mouth of the cave. This is the culmination of years of planning and plotting but it will soon pay off. The sellsword is equally impressed, whispering “By the gods...” under his breath. Hands grasp the front of his shirt, and he is quickly whipped around. The nobleman, in a surprising show of strength, lifts the sellsword off the ground and speaks harshly. “Now, remember. Bring me the lamp. The rest of the treasure is yours to take, but the lamp is _mine_.” His expression is of absolute seriousness and the sellsword swallows nervously. His employer drops him to the ground, and he quickly scrambles away. After picking himself up, he cautiously makes his way to the mouth of the cave. 

The hawk flies over and as he transforms back into a man, he looks in the mercenary's direction with a disapproving sneer and finally speaks, “I can't apologize enough for the foolishness of this man.” The tall man straightens his fine clothes, smoothes his ruffled hair, and smiles an unkind grin. He gestures for the small man to be quiet and looks to the mouth of the cave. The sellsword nears the cave’s entrance and attempts to enter, still cautious. At this, a gust of air escapes the mouth and knocks him onto his back. A deep, thunderous voice emanates from the cave, bellowing, “ **WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?** ” 

The sellsword frantically scrambles back terrified, but eventually rights himself and timidly replies, “I-I am Urias. A simple mercenary.” He awkwardly bows and the voice from the cave responds, “ **Know this. Only one may enter here, one whose worth lies far within.** ” The men waiting at the tree line exchange a glance before the voice continues, “ **A diamond in the rough.** ” 

Urias looks worriedly back to the men and the nobleman gestures forward, “What are you waiting for? Go on. Your treasure awaits!” This seems to solidify a bit of courage in Urias and he makes his way to the cave entrance. Air leaves the mouth of the cave, almost like the great beast's head is alive and breathing. Urias tentatively places his foot into the mouth, fearing the worst. The other two men watch this with bated breath for several seconds, and then Urias breathes a loud sigh of relief. A great roaring rushes out from deep in the cave, followed by a blindingly bright light. The two waiting men shield their eyes, hear Urias scream out for help, and then the brightness subsides. 

The two men uncover their eyes and look, watching as the mouth of the tiger closes on Urias, burying him under the sand. “Nooo!” the tall man cries out in frustration, but it is too late. The rumbling voice from before carries through the dark, quiet night. “ **Seek thee out the diamond in the rough.** ” These words echo in the nobleman’s mind, and he falls to his knees, his plan a failure. 

The smaller man takes in the scene and quickly makes his way to where the two halves of the beetle wait in the sand. He gathers them up and approaches the man on his knees, “My lord...we just need to have patience.” The man on the ground doesn’t respond at first but eventually shakes off his stupor. “Yes, yes, Algar, you’re right.” He steadies himself and stands, dusting off the sand. “Urias was obviously less than worthy.” Algar nods in agreement and begins to pick their way back through the forest. “But what are we going to do about this now?” 

“Only one may enter,” the nobleman says, almost to himself, clearly devising some type of plan. Algar continues to nod, though not really understanding. He trusts his lord, a much smarter man than himself. “Of course, Lord Sharp. Anything I can do to assist you?” They break through the brush onto the beach where their boat awaits. Lord Sharp thinks for a moment before saying, “Get the word out to your less than scrupulous contacts. It may not have worked this time, but I see no problem in ridding the streets of filth by testing the cave a few more times.” 

“Of course, my lord.” Algar hesitates before they board the craft and says, “My lord, if you don’t mind my asking, how will you explain your absence to the Ruby tonight?” Sharp laughs and makes his way on board. “That woman can barely control her own daughter, let alone account for the whereabouts of her court. And if she does notice, well, there are ways to distract her.” The lord rests his walking stick across his lap and Algar turns his eyes away from it, purely on instinct. Sharp continues, looking at the staff, “But I--I will not be distracted, Algar.” The boat leaves the shore and begins making its way back to the mainland. The clouds cover the moon once again and the only light comes from the large gem atop the staff, a dark red glow. “I must find this...diamond in the rough.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [air horn sounds] Beau's here y'all! It's party time!  
> thanks again to @trashprinxe (on tumblr) who helped tremendously with the editing of this chapter

A gruff voice cries out in the busy street. “Stop, thief!” This does nothing to stop the young woman running across the roof of a building, but the edge of said roof gives her a momentary pause. She glances around for some sort of escape route, shifting the single loaf of bread she has to her other hand. This was apparently enough time for the guards giving chase to catch up with her, three of them emerging from the roof entrance and closing in. 

“All this for a loaf of bread?” She was so sure when she had taken it that it be an easy steal, but now she’s just desperate to make it off this rooftop alive. Thieves aren’t welcome in Nicodranas and the guards are sure to make examples of those foolish enough to commit such crimes. She looks down one last time and spies several clotheslines between this building and the next. Hoping against hope that they will hold, she vaults off the roof, the guards yelling after her. 

She catches one of the ropes with her open hand, feeling it burn into the skin of her fingers as she slides her way to the neighboring building, the clothes on the line either falling off or catching on her person. She’s rapidly heading towards an open window in what seems like the first bit of good luck she’s had all day, when an older woman suddenly appears in the window, sees this massive pile of clothes coming at her, and slams the window shut. The young woman has barely enough time to curse before she slams into the wooden shutters and falls. 

The awning below slows her descent before ripping open, sending her onto a wooden ledge that also breaks, and yet another awning before finally arriving on the ground. The mass of clothes shifts for a few seconds before a hand holding a loaf of bread, still intact, shoots up in victory. The woman begins climbing out of her pile when she hears the guards up above shout, “You won’t get away that easy!” 

Muttering to herself and rubbing what she is sure is going to be a stiff shoulder in the morning, she groans, “You think that was easy?” She hears some laughter behind her and quickly spins around. Several women she knows are collecting laundry and taking great pleasure in seeing her make a fool of herself. Hearing more guards approach, the young woman throws a scarf that had fallen with her over her head and joins the women, pretending to pick up clothes as she goes. 

One of the older women laughs as she approaches and asks, “Getting into trouble a little early today, aren’t you, Beauregard?” Beau frowns a bit a the use of her full name but quickly falls back into an easy grin. 

“Trouble? No way. You’re only in trouble if you get caught.” The women laugh more at this and Beau’s grin grows even cheesier. At this moment, however, a large hand grabs her shoulder and firmly turns her around. 

The massive guard that Beau knows all too well barks out, “Gotcha.” 

Beau knows she could probably take him alone, but not him and the four others he has as back up. _I’m in trouble._

“And this time you won’t be getting awa-” the guard begins, but before he can relish his triumph, a large owl flies screeching towards him, grabbing his helmet and pulling it down over his eyes. 

“Right on time, Professor Thaddeus.” Beau grins and takes off down the street. “Let’s get out of here.” The bird flies to the next guard, knocking his helmet over his eyes as well, while Beau runs up a nearby wall to avoid the next three. She runs down an alley that comes to a dead end, but a huge pyramid of barrels against the far wall is an opportunity to someone like Beau. She scurries to the top as the guards round the corner. Using the wall behind her as leverage, she pushes the top barrel down the side of the pyramid and it collides with a guard, breaking open and scattering its contents, a thick molasses-like liquid. 

The guards hurl insults as she climbs onto some nearby scaffolding. She snatches a few pieces of the fruit they begin to hurl next, wondering if they even understand why she stole this meager meal in the first place. The guards gather around the legs of the scaffolding and begin working together to shake the entire structure back and forth, making it increasingly unstable. She takes the hint and ducks into a nearby window. 

There’s a yell and Beau looks to see three women in the room, each of them identical to the other. They look at each other for a moment before one of the girls says, “Beau! What have you gotten yourself into this time?” 

A different one goes back to applying her makeup while saying, “Probably on the run from the guards again. She’s practically a one-woman rise in crime.” Then a large woman comes rushing into the room, sees Beau and brandishes a broom. 

“You again! What have I told you about staying away from my girls?” The woman takes a swipe at Beau with the broom, which she easily dodges. Beau quickly looks for a way out, this situation being almost as bad as the guards. She heads to the opposite window, never turning her back to the women in the room. 

“Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat, tell ya more about it when I’ve got the time.” She gives the three girls a wink and a sarcastic salute to the large woman before falling backward out the window and onto an awning. Still hearing the guards, she makes her way towards the docks where a flock of sheep is being herded off a boat and into town. She loses some of the guards in the natural roadblock that is trying to move uncooperative animals and darts down another street. 

More guards appear and cut off her path, so she darts up the stairs of a nearby tower, jumping in yet another window for some cover. She hears them making their way up after her so she snatches a nearby carpet, using it to parachute her way to the next roof. A few guards jump after but miss the ledge, landing in piles of manure for sale on the street below. The rising bubble of laughter in her throat nearly stops Beau in her tracks, but Professor Thaddeus screeches from above and Beau snaps back to the situation at hand. She speeds further away, pausing in the doorway of an abandoned building until she no longer hears the guards for a comfortable amount of time. She slides down the wall in relief, landing in the dirt, just happy to be alive. 

“Now, my esteemed colleague, we feast.” She tears the bread in half, and then into smaller chunks for her avian friend. She goes to bite into her hard-won meal but sees a familiar sight. Two children, a dirty older girl and a young boy dressed in rags, carefully digging through a nearby garbage pile, pulling out a fish skeleton and smelling it before noticing Beau staring at them. The girl protectively stands in front of the boy with a determined look on her face, despite how small and thin she is. Beau smiles at this and then sighs before getting up and making her way over. 

Holding out the bread in front of her, she quietly says, “Go on. I wasn’t that hungry anyway.” She smiles, hoping that doesn’t scare off the poor kids, and the older girl hesitates for just a second before taking the bread. She rips it unevenly, giving the smaller boy the larger piece. Beau takes the rest of Professor Thaddeus’ cut and gives it to them as well, the bird giving her the stink eye the entire time. She notices the look and mutters, “You don’t even like bread. Go catch a mouse or something if you’re so hungry.” The bird seems to take this to heart and takes off into the city. Beau sighs and goes to sit back down when she hears a commotion at the end of the street. Curious by nature, she makes her way over. 

Dozens of people line the street, watching a man in shining armor make his way through Nicodranas on a pure white horse. “On his way to the palace, I suppose,” a man next to her says. “Another suitor for the Sapphire.” 

Beau feels someone push against her legs and the young boy from before runs past her into the street, seemingly enchanted by the horse riding past. The horse rears up and the boy falls to the ground in fear. The girl runs after him, trying to keep him from being trampled by the animal, and the man in the armor calls out, “Out of my way, you filthy brats!” He pulls out a whip and goes to use it, but Beau quickly darts in, letting the whip strike her arm before she grabs it and pulls it from his grasp. “Hey, if I was a rich as you, I could afford some manners.” She throws the whip back in his face as he turns bright red with anger. 

“I’ll teach you some manners,” the man hisses out, slamming Beau in the chest with his foot and sending her into the mud and refuse along the dirt road. The crowd laughs and the man on the horse resituates himself before urging his mount forward towards the palace. Beau wipes some of the grime off her face before calling out after the man. 

“It’s not too often you see a horse with two asses, pretty impressive.” The crowd, now fully invested, _ooohhh_ ’s along with the insult. The man halts his horse before turning around and coming back. Beau quickly puts herself in a defensive stance, thinking the man doesn’t seem the type to fight his own battles but not wanting to be caught off guard again. The man gets as close as he can and stares down at Beau. 

“You are a worthless street rat. You were born a street rat, and you’ll die a street rat, covered in filth on the side of the road.” The man’s face is a cruel sneer and he turns his horse, once again making his way to the palace gate. Beau’s anger rises quickly, and a few moments later she takes off after him. She almost has him in reach and can imagine how satisfying it will be to break this pretentious asshole’s nose when she’s suddenly blocked by a wooden door. The man had made it past the palace gates and is safely out of reach. She slams her hands against the doors in frustration and the crowd behind her begins to disperse. 

Staring at the immense wall, she mutters, “I’m not worthless. And I’m not filthy.” She picks at some of the drying mud on her arms as a familiar flapping sound comes closer. She holds her arm out and Professor Thaddeus lands. 

“Well, hopefully, you had a better time than I did.” She tries to laugh but it comes out flat. “C’mon, Professor, let’s go home.” 

Walking the streets back to their home hungry, dirty and tired is a trial in and of itself. Beau reflects on the day, on how a simple plan to eat something turned the entire thing on its head. Maybe they were right. Maybe she was just a poor girl, with no family, no hopes for the future. It seems like even the good things she does come back to bite her in the ass, so why does she keep doing them? Arriving at their little hovel, Thaddeus flies off into the rafters and Beau makes her way to the window. 

Technically part of the wall itself is missing, but she can’t bring herself to care when the view is as spectacular as it is. The Lavish Chateau, the home of the Ruby of the Sea, is the most beautiful and extravagant place she’s ever seen. Granted she hasn’t been many places, but it still takes her breath away every time she sees it. She imagines what it must be like to live there: the servants, the plush and comfy beds, the delicious food. She looks to her pile of tattered blankets and flattened pillows and sighs. 

“Someday, Professor, things are gonna change. We’re gonna be rich, live in a palace, and never have any problems at all.” She says it so convincingly that she almost believes it herself, but a cold wind blows in off the sea makes her shiver and return to reality. She wishes Professor Thaddeus a good night and happy hunting before laying down on the hard ground and finally getting some rest, dreaming of a carefree and comfortable life. 


End file.
